SlaithwaiteMillpond

27/10/2026

Friends of Slaithwaite Millpond update #111

We have been busy! The community working party was very productive. A great morning’s work making more dead hedges to help provide habitat in an effort to boost biodiversity. We also made a start on removing the bulrushes, which I now understand aren’t actually bulrushes, they are reedmace. Still, whatever you call them, pulling them out appears to be good fun. Volunteers Rhys and Paul are certainly smiling about it.

You might be wondering why we would want to get rid of the bulrushes (sorry, reedmace). What about the poor moorhens!? Well, we did think that some reedmace could be retained in the upper millpond, BUT we received sound advice from Rachel at RH Ecological Services. Basically, “some” won’t happen, and the moorhens won’t be at home in the ecosystem that a working watercourse will provide.

Last week we had our second Board of Trustees meeting since our incorporation as a CIO last November, and I am delighted to say we welcomed a new Trustee to the Board. Personally, I’m not one for meetings, and I’ll admit that I don’t typically attend the Committee meetings via Teams. I’m beginning to regret this. I really enjoyed the Trustee meeting, and if you would like to get involved, do let me know. We are always open to new Committee Members and Trustees.

Talking of openness, we are very keen on transparency and circulate the minutes of all of our meetings. If you would like a “look under the bonnet” at the charity’s comings and goings, send me a DM or an email to [email protected] with your email details and I’ll get you added to the circulation list.

In other matters, thank you to the readers who helped our friends at River Action. At the time of writing, the petition has reached 99,848... oops, no, make that 99,849 of the 100K target.

More from us soon.

13/10/2026

01/10/2026

Friends of Slaithwaite Millpond update #110

But first, a moment of your time if we may.

Our friends at River Action request your support. The UK's rivers are already paying the price for industrial chicken farming. Join in calling on the Government to protect our rivers by making Big Chicken manage its own muck, making the industrial poultry industry take responsibility for the waste it produces, instead of leaving rivers and communities to pay the price. It's just a few clicks to sign the petition. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-big-chicken-choking-our-rivers and if so inclined, it would be great if you would consider sharing this.

Back to the update…

Thanks to the recent volunteer work clearing the way, Keith was joined yesterday by Dave Martin of AmcoGiffen for an inspection of the abstraction point. In another excellent example of meaningful early engagement, the waterways engineers were back on site to complete their initial inspection.

Looking at the photo of Dave and Keith, I was struck by a recurring thought: what a difference a bridge makes! It is hard to believe that this time last year we couldn't safely access two thirds of the site. The old bridge had been decrepit for quite some time. Cue Duncan Henderson, our Mr Community, and his chat with those lovely people at the Green Valley Grocer. They were pleased to help, as were the many people who helped build a new bridge with the materials so generously donated.

So much has happened since then, and all in the space of a year. So many people have walked across that bridge. So much material has been carried and wheelbarrowed across that bridge. From our regular volunteers and the small armies that arrive, to the scouts from the indomitable 33rd and the next generation of conservationists, it has all been possible thanks to that bridge. I do hope you can forgive my ramblings; I know that I have already covered this, but it feels like more than a collection of wood and metal. It has become the location for team photos and provided a seat for many a weary volunteer along the way. Thanks, Green Valley Grocer, you made a difference. Here are a few photos for you.

In other matters, last time I described the weather at our recent event as "manageable." In fact, that was our Chair's very understated description, not mine. The truth is, it was absolutely lousy. So much so, the footage captured by our friendly neighbourhood videographer, Robert Kerr, was far below his exacting standards. Worry not, Rob will be back on the land that forms our extended stewardship and will produce another amazing video.

More from us soon.

20/09/2026

Friends of Slaithwaite Millpond update #109

Yesterday morning's weather was described as "manageable." I'm not entirely sure what that means exactly, but it certainly didn't get in the way of progress. Duncan, Paul, Rhys and Keith were joined by Julie Davies for what was a very productive morning. That's the same Julie at Juma Designs who produces graphic designs for absolutely everything we need, pro bono. Thank you ever so much for all the excellent work over the years. If you need an amazing local freelance graphic designer, look no further: https://www.jumadesign.co.uk/

Rhys completed our seating area for weary volunteers, putting his carpentry skills to work building a frame from wood so generously donated by Jewson, with a seat made from donated old decking planks, successfully compensating for the not entirely level base! We also made a start on the crown lifting that will bring more light onto the forest floor.

As for the photos of all this new land that forms our extended stewardship… hmm… "be careful what you wish for" springs to mind. As much as I don't want to depress any of our readers on this lovely sunny afternoon in the village, nor type a diatribe on moronic fly-tippers, I have included what I received in this post. I'll let the pictures talk for themselves, with a warning: get past the first six excellent images of the volunteers and it's doom scrolling from there on in.

On a lighter note, we were joined yet again by our friendly neighbourhood videographer, Robert Kerr, who I'm hoping will produce another amazing video, perhaps one that captures the underlying beauty and massive potential.

More from us soon.

17/09/2026

Friends of Slaithwaite Millpond update #108

Often, I just get a few photos to share with you, minus our chair's thumb if I am lucky. Hence, I find it hard to comprehend, without evidence, how a couple of us and eight volunteers, in the space of one morning managed to: clear flora on the access paths all the way from the entrance to half way along the upper millpond, addressing very many of the self-seeded willows ripping up the banks, shovel and wheelbarrow two-thirds of a tonne of hardcore up to the seating area in the blink of an eye, clear a path down to the abstraction point at the weir in preparation for the waterways engineers' inspection, litter pick the majority of the route, and push on beyond the weir, clearing access onto the extended land parcel for another fifty-odd metres, tagging Japanese knotweed as they went.

And breathe…

Apologies for the breathless list. I'm tired just from typing that sentence. Massive thanks to the incredible volunteers. They don't even look vaguely exhausted in the team photo! Maybe there's something in the coffee so kindly supplied gratis by those lovely people at Ashby's Café or the bottled water from Bottomley's News Agents. We will never know (probably).

Returning to my ever-present requests for more photos to share with you, and more specifically a really good look at all this new land that forms our extended stewardship. I'm told “we're only just navigating our way around this space right now, but it won't be long before we're able to provide a virtual guided tour”. To me that sounds like another amazing video from our friendly neighbourhood videographer, Robert Kerr. I can't wait!

In the meantime, it's the Community Working Party on Saturday. If you'd like to get involved, either send me a DM or an email to [email protected] for details.

More from us soon.

14/09/2026

Friends of Slaithwaite Millpond update #107

Last week we were back at and in the millpond. In response to a redesign of the siting of the automated sluice gate that will control the flow of treated water back into the River Colne, an inspection of the culvert entrance was required (pictured here). I'm told that it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, given that the entrance is under the chip shop, I can understand why. Our intrepid explorers Paul and Keith were joined on the day by William Evans from Aquatic Control Engineering Ltd. That's their third site inspection to date, in what our Chair described as "outstanding early meaningful engagement."

On Wednesday our attention turns to the other end of the watercourse where further investigations are required. We will be supported by volunteers from the local operation of a global company in our efforts to achieve access to the water abstraction point. Obviously, we have timed the need for an inspection in the worst possible season so there is significant vegetation to address. Still, subject to a risk assessment on the day, we may well finally be saying good riddance to the discarded mattress near the weir. Well, perhaps not just yet. As previously discussed, getting fly-tipped rubbish offsite starts with getting it to the entrance gate and wondering what on earth we are going to do with it next!

It's back yet again for the third Saturday of the month Community Working Party on the 19th of September and if you would like to get involved either send me a DM or an email to [email protected] for details. Anyone who has watched Rob's excellent videos knows that it is stunningly beautiful by the river, a great setting to spend a morning with just a little bit of hard work thrown in.

In other matters, massive thanks to Wilkinson Woodward solicitors for drafting our lease, the document is now with our landlords for consideration. Their pro-bono work on behalf of the charity is just one example of their support for nonprofits.

Lastly; we really appreciate the quick turnaround from Kirklees regarding our s211 crown lifting application, they said six weeks but approved our proposals in three. The works, which will bring significantly more light onto the forest floor and promote biodiversity, are scheduled for later this year.

More from us soon.

16/08/2026

Friends of Slaithwaite Millpond update #106

Good news, the Mallards have been hard at work, word got out and the flock size trebled; the algae that had been smothering the millpond and starving it of oxygen has completely gone, thanks to some very enthusiastic grazing from our feathered friends. Corvid intelligence has been extensively studied, ducks; not so much. Given that algae are low in nutritional value, I do wonder if they were doing their own bit of environmental management, I guess we will never know what they were thinking.

We certainly do know what Ecologist Rachel Hepburn from RH Ecological Services is thinking. Rachel's ecological report massively exceeded our expectations and has provided a clear vision of the path to enhanced bio-diversity. As a bonus, we know Rachel had a thoroughly enjoyable time working on the watercourse with people who genuinely love the site, rather than a developer ticking a planning box. We hope to have her back working on the environmental management plan for the restoration works soon.

In perhaps the biggest news event of the year so far, the Dartmouth Estate has agreed to extend the land that will be the subject of our 25-year lease massively to the west. It's flat land, perfect for further community involvement, at least it will be one day. Right now, it's a forest of Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed and fly-tipping but the potential is clear.

At yesterday's Community Working Party, Kara and Duncan, equipped with what Keith described as "serious kit, not far off Medieval polearms", ventured past the weir. I'm not told how far they went, just that they did come back, inflated by the possibilities and deflated by the mindlessness of fly-tippers in equal measure. The latter being a feeling we know all too well.

They returned to add more detail to our s211 crown lifting application with Kirklees, meanwhile, Paul and Keith created the base for the gabion cage-based stool to complement the bench and of course there was another piece of metal in exactly the wrong place. It wouldn't be a Community Working Party if things didn't randomly turn up to cause the most inconvenience. Still, they also unearthed this action figure, if anyone knows what it is do let us know in the comments.

More from us soon.